A leading Christian higher education resource, CUO offers these rankings not because any one area is superior to another, but that while not necessarily a top consideration in the decision, geography can often play a part in school selection. There are certainly some familiar names on this list; some new schools are showcased as well. It is our hope that those who may need to limit their school selection based on geography will be well-served by this ranking.

The methodology behind this ranking was to give consideration to schools in the Western region of the US that are members or member eligible of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). Christian Universities Online then collected publicly available data for these schools in the following categories:

overall graduation rate. Each category received equal weight in calculating the final ranking.

Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, claimed the top spot on the list. Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California, and Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, complete the top three.

Other schools making the list include (in alphabetical order):

Abilene Christian University – Abilene, Texas

Biola University – La Mirada, California

Concordia University Irvine – Irvine, California

Corban University – Salem, Oregon

Dallas Baptist University – Dallas, Texas

Fresno Pacific University – Fresno, California

George Fox University – Newberg, Oregon

Hardin-Simmons University – Abilene, Texas

Hope International University – Fullerton, California

LeTourneau University – Longview, Texas

Northwest Christian University – Eugene, Oregon

Northwest University – Kirkland, Washington

Oklahoma Baptist University – Shawnee, Oklahoma

Oklahoma Christian University – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Oral Roberts University – Tulsa, Oklahoma

Point Loma Nazarene University – San Diego, California

Seattle Pacific University – Seattle, Washington

Simpson University – Redding, California

The Master’s University – Santa Clarita, California

Vanguard University of Southern California – Costa Mesa, California

Warner Pacific College – Portland, Oregon

William Jessup University – Rocklin, California

Anna-Rebekah Orr, editor for the ranking, states that the goal of the ranking is to highlight schools that excel in their educational offerings within specific areas of this great and diverse country, not because any one area is superior to another, but, that while not necessarily a top consideration in the decision, geography can often play a part in school selection.

Whitworth University

Orr goes on to say, “When Christian Universities Online creates a region-specific ranking, we do not merely regurgitate our national top fifty. Rather, we make a fresh start with a targeted list of schools and apply our evaluation criteria anew to this unique group.”

Orr notes that there are certainly some familiar names on this list, but new schools are showcased as well. Students have a myriad of criteria to use in their selection process, and geography may be inadvertently overlooked, but there are several ramifications related to distance and location that prudent students and their families should bear in mind. Christian Universities Online hopes that its regional rankings will be of service to all prospective students, particularly those who are searching for schools with specific geographical areas in mind.

Christian Universities Online (http://www.christianuniversitiesonline.org/) is an online resource for students and families researching Christian higher education. The site publishes rankings and reviews of the best Christian colleges and universities, information about Christian scholarships and financial aid, and many other resources for finding, getting into, and paying for a quality Christian education.